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women in P.R., continued ...Published: March 01, 2011

“They are better P.R. practitioners because as students, they
communicate, observe, listen and write better,” says Gaschen. “Those
four skills are essential to being successful in P.R., and they might
lead them toward public relations.”

He also says female
students are drawn to P.R. because its income potential is far greater
than traditional women-dominated careers, such as nursing.

“P.R. is one of those fields where you can go and hang up your own shingle and easily make a six-figure salary,” Gaschen says.

Joan
Gladstone, an assistant professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College
of Film and Media Arts, and president and CEO of Gladstone
International, a public relations firm, says for women entrepreneurs,
P.R. and marketing has advantages over capital-intensive enterprises
such as opening a restaurant or retail shop.

“There’s a very
low barrier to entry in starting a public relations firm,” she says.
“You basically need a computer and a cell phone.”

Once working in the industry, most P.R. men and women approach new clients differently, Gladstone has seen over the years.

“Men
tend to be oriented toward sales and layout. ‘I know the solution, and
we’ll do it,’” Gladstone says. “With women, it’s more like, ‘Nice to
meet you and how can I help you? What do you need?’

“Women, generally speaking, are great listeners, and they have something else that is really important: empathy.”

Gladstone
also sees women as being more invested in cultivating and maintaining
relationships in their personal and professional lives. In the P.R. and
marketing world, this characteristic translates straight to the bottom
line.